Episode 355

[Death May Die]

Holy shit, amazing! I love the masterful pacing of the story telling. We get the best dynamics from all the best potential out comes. Casca retains her memories being very interesting, and her of course being greatly conflicted about Guts, which was quite impossible to avoid. All simply being great dynamics to be installed into the story.

Also, all those Casca panels, I have to say, Casca has never looked so absolutely beautiful!!!

[NCHaskew]

Absolutely stunning episode! I love how Miura is able to blend dialogue with nonverbal storytelling, telling the audience so much with so little. It's interesting to see her memories of Guts seemingly blended with good memories, yet his physical appearance brings back all her trauma. Gives it a very powerful feel of tragic love. It's apparent that Casca does still love him (never doubted, but thank Christ), but having such a strong association with him and her trauma makes it much more complicated. The spread of Griffith's broken body threw me for a loop. I'll be interested to see the translation!

[DANGERDOOOOM]

AAAGH, that ending! What does it mean!?

Casca looks gorgeous! The panel where she is in tears made me smile with joy. 2 page spread after 2 page spread blew me away. Miura really out did himself this round. All of her emotions and her mental state shall be put to the test now that she's confronting Guts. Even though another hiatus is here, I couldn't have been more pleased the way things were left for us to ponder.

I think this would be a good opportunity for our boy to make his appearance.

Edit: Also, near the last page as Casca is walking towards Guts, Schierke and Farnese are behind watching, with Schierke smiling, but Farnese doesn't look to happy lol. I don't think she'll ever get rid of her feelings for Guts. Poor Farny

[Scorpio]

Man, the moment you see Guts you know it's going to be bad news. I loved that contrast with the bright, fairy-tale environment with the heavily shadowed realism. You instantly get that ominous feeling and it perfectly encapsulates the darkness that Guts has wrapped himself in since he began his quest for revenge. This development certainly isn't going to help the poor guy...       

[Aazealh]

Quick summary: Casca explains that she feels like she woke up from a long sleep, and the people she had dreamed off are standing right in front of her. While she was insane, she saw Elaine's life from far away, like a dream, but she could not feel nor think anything. The girls ask her if she remembers everything, and she says some things from before and after she fell asleep are vague. She remembers going to rescue Griffith, but nothing after that... (this prompts them to think back to the heart with thorns).

Farnese asks her if she remembers Guts, and that's when we get the beautiful full page of her smiling with tears in her eyes. The girls blush at this, and Ivalera tells Schierke it seems they've woken the "final boss", which prompts Schierke to stuff her in her hat. Danan asks if they're done getting acquainted, and says she'll give Casca a gift after such a long journey, one fitting for meeting the one she's been missing. Casca protests at the dress, saying she's a warrior, but Danan shuts her down, says it's perfect and that she looks like an elfin princess. She tells her she's called Guts telepathically too, and to go meet him.

As she goes to meet him, Casca feels that she remembers more and more with each step. The memories that make her who she is. And she remembers Elaine's life, too. Throughout that time when she couldn't feel nor think, there was a voice that kept saying... There is someone I want to meet...

Referring to ep 350

Guess I was right after all.

[GTZ]

sad but expected. Guts is a personification of the eclypse, a perpetuel reminder, by his body or his psyché, his armor, his weapon, etc.
It's beautifull to see Casca back, full of hop about this reunion, but everything crush when she meet him. It remind in a block all the suffering. About Griffith body, i am curious too, maybe a link between the body of Guts ? Because we don't see a glimpse of Femto, bot the broken body. Maybe the Broken falcon, the broken dream, the broken doll.
We well see, how i will turn, but Casca is happy to meet Guts, she is still in love and remember all trigger (i am not sure about the use of this word) Gut passed, and the other, to protect her. It's a good point, but the fear of him, or maybe the fear of the eclypse, the trauma, sadly Guts is the vessel of it.

The dress is a bit awkward on her, but she is beautifull like this, like a new Casca. But we reconize the old one in her eye, in this picture, when Schierke make the difference.

A hiatus, it was expected too... But we see her again, that's cool. I can wait now.

Edit : Oh, i post, but i didn't read before the resume.

So, the body of Griffith is the last glimps of her memory before the eclypse. Seing Gut, will make her remember everything. She has a black out between the end the rescue and the journey to heal her. The next time she will remember everything. We can better understang, why, during the corridor of dream we just see the eclypse in this representation, but we see a lot of the golden age.  And the thorn take their meaning, this is the memory seal.


Edit : sorry, for all misuse of word, i will progress, i promess !

Edit 2 :

Another point. About the full picture of Casca in tear of joy. I am rereading Berserk, and it's about the promess of Guts, to take Casca with him. Finally he did it, he is with Casca, about all the manga, we can maybe resume Berserk about it, the story of a man who travel all the earth to heal his woman, fighting monster. It's almost a myth, a legend. She feel it, i think, that maybe he leave her a moment or not, but he is, and that the most important point, still her. He didn't leave her.

[MrFlibble]

Welp there goes my smile  # IWASRIGHTGUTS  , don't quote me on it but I doubt this will have a lasting impact. Miura didn't waste time designing a Cinderella dress for Casca to have her mind stripped away again. I predict Guts will have to talk her out of this mental stuper. Either way I think this will be a heart rendering moment for Guts, I wouldn't be suprised if he were reduced to tears during this crucial moment.


 This episode boasts some of the best pages in Berserk history, the somber images of an approaching Guts, and a ruined Griffith in brutal detail should lay waste to any doubts about Miura's passion for his series. But I'll have to throw my lot in with the crowd that dislikes the new artstyle, Cascas eyes are too catlike for my liking.

[Walter]

This is one of the coolest episodes in the series. Every page gave me goosebumps. And what a killer ending, wow!

Like Aaz wrote in the summary, Casca awoke with all of her memories, but it seems she accessed the most recent ones first, while some were buried deeper than others. And so she was still in the process of parsing those memories (loved every little bubble) as she was walking toward Guts. And seeing him instantly tapped the darkest part of her memories. He's a living reminder of that time, tied inexorably to both her most happy and most terrifying memories. Miura is awesome.

Really appreciate the extra detail he added to the Griffith scene in his cell -- wow -- really heightens the atmosphere of those pages.

I think Casca's outfit looks great (braids!) and Danan insisting she knows better than Casca about what she should wear is pretty good stuff, maybe she needs an emoticon =)

Casca's smile when thinking about Guts is a pretty big moment for readers, too. All that hard work paying off

[Griffith]

 

That was mean. Great stuff obviously, loved ALMOST every moment, seemed TOO good even , as she beautifully, idyllically walks towards Guts and we think it's really happening and better than we ever imagined and we see him isolated and think how he'll feel and then things start to shift and is that her pupil or oh no not the eclipse then BOOM giant Griffith corpse body and scream... Boo!

But yeah, a great and affecting episode as expected.

[Aazealh]

Tentative episode title: "Under the sunlight shining through the leaves"

Oh, and I keep seeing people talking about a hiatus... but the end of the episode says "to be continued next time". So no confirmation of a hiatus as far as I can tell. Needless to say, I also wish that just once, on this momentous occasion, people would focus on discussing what actually happens in this episode instead of obsessing over the release schedule.

don't quote me on it but I doubt this will have a lasting impact. Miura didn't waste time designing a Cinderella dress for Casca to have her mind stripped away again.

Well you can quote me on it: Casca didn't just go insane again. That would be ludicrous and I'm surprised you'd even think about it.

It's just that all of her bad memories had been bottled up, and they seemingly reemerged all at once. What's interesting is that Guts is shown as being the catalyst, but it seems that it might still have happened anyway. There's some uncertainty on that part which I'm very curious to get cleared up. As for how it'll be dealt with, well... that remains to be seen. There's many ways it could go, from Guts just holding her to her needing some time alone to process things.

Casca's smile when thinking about Guts is a pretty big moment for readers, too. All that hard work paying off

Hell yeah, one for the ages.

[MrFlibble]

Well you can quote me on it: Casca didn't just go insane again. That would be ludicrous and I'm surprised you'd even think about it.

It's just that all of her bad memories had been bottled up, and they seemingly reemerged all at once. What's interesting is that Guts is shown as being the catalyst, but it seems that it might have happened anyway. There's some uncertainty on that part. As for how it'll be dealt with, well... that remains to be seen. There's many ways it could go, from Guts just holding her to her needing some time alone to process things.

Hell yeah, one for the ages.

Someone thought of it, after all 90% of the time Berserk runs by Murphy's law  . However I also meant that this probably won't divide Guts and Casca's relationship. It's like you mentioned, Guts is the conduit for all of her painful memories (especially with the way he looks now). And the flashback of a ruined Griffith implies that she will have to come to terms with what he has become as well.

[Cyrus Jong]

Never before have I seen so little happen across so many pages. Never before has so much time been taken just to show the slowest and simplest action two people could possibly take. And never before have I been so crushed.

Everything is bright, everything is serene, everything is beautiful. Everything, that is, except Guts. We can hardly see his face, we can't see his eyes, and it seems like all the shadows of the tree are gathered around him. There's not supposed to be anything to fear, but he just seems to cast of aura of menace and terror regardless. It's not fair to him at all, but like it or not, he's now a symbol for everything that Casca suffered and lost on that fateful day...

I waited a long time anticipating this moment, mentally preparing myself it. And now that it's here, I don't think I'm ready for it.

[Aazealh]

Someone thought of it, after all 90% of the time Berserk runs by Murphy's law  .

Naaah. I don't know why people always say that. Berserk is hardly just a series of hardships happening to people... There are very dark moments for sure, but there's also plenty of positive stuff and of triumphs for the good guys...

However I also meant that this probably won't divide Guts and Casca's relationship. It's like you mentioned, Guts is the conduit for all of her painful memories (especially with the way he looks now). And the flashback of a ruined Griffith implies that she will have to come to terms with what he has become as well.

What Casca says about her memories is worth dwelling on: she doesn't remember what happened right before and right after she "fell asleep". Meaning that also probably includes the birth of her son (I know we see him under both forms in her "bubbles of memory", but maybe she hasn't connected the dots yet). I think that's what we might get in the next episode, in addition to having to deal with Griffith's sorry state, his betrayal and the whole Eclipse proper. Beyond the immediate crisis, she really has a lot to catch up on regarding the state of the world.

Also, regarding her trauma, I'm very curious as to how Miura will have her (and Guts and the others) confront it. I wonder if it will also be personified eventually, giving her a "beast of darkness" of sorts. If so I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be like Guts, it could be more like self-doubt for example.

Everything is bright, everything is serene, everything is beautiful. Everything, that is, except Guts. We can hardly see his face, we can't see his eyes, and it seems like all the shadows of the tree are gathered around him. There's not supposed to be anything to fear, but he just seems to cast of aura of menace and terror regardless. It's not fair to him at all, but like it or not, he's now a symbol for everything that Casca suffered and lost on that fateful day...

I like that the "Black Swordsman" persona kind of works against Guts here, it feels very fitting thematically.

[NCHaskew]

Oh, and I keep seeing people talking about a hiatus... but the end of the episode says "to be continued next time". So no confirmation of a hiatus as far as I can tell. Needless to say, I also wish that just once, on this momentous occasion, people would focus on discussing what actually happens in this episode instead of obsessing over the release schedule.

Not to obsess over the release schedule, but that's interesting  I guess people (myself included) noticed the lack of numbers so assumed the ending was something along the lines of "to be continued this Fall" or something.

But in any case, yes people, live in the moment! We got another episode with artwork and moments that are immediately iconic!

[SleepersWake]

So happy I preordered, so I can own a physical copy of this beautiful, painful episode. This took me on a ride. Special mention to the the cinematic effect, where Casca's eye transitions to the eclipse - her pupil becomes the black sun, her iris becomes the landscape of faces, and guts walks forward through both scenes. Seriously freaky.

Got a bone to pick with the main man here, though. Guts. Why in the name of all that is holy did you bring the Berserk Armour, the Dragonslayer, and all your weapons to meet Casca. YOU DIDN'T NEED THOSE. Even aside from the memories, that stuff makes you highly unhuggable.

EDIT:oh, and I laughed out loud when I saw Danan's magical, instant makeover, and how Casca reacted to it. Its beautiful, but also kinda silly to imagine in real time, especially knowing how un-Casca it is. Just *POOF*! Instant elvish prom-queen!

[Walter]

Everything is bright, everything is serene, everything is beautiful. Everything, that is, except Guts. We can hardly see his face, we can't see his eyes, and it seems like all the shadows of the tree are gathered around him. There's not supposed to be anything to fear, but he just seems to cast of aura of menace and terror regardless. It's not fair to him at all, but like it or not, he's now a symbol for everything that Casca suffered and lost on that fateful day...

I agree! But it's not dissimilar from last episode, where Miura obscured Casca's eyes from the reader until the big reveal. Guts laying his eyes on Casca will be a big moment, but we aren't being treated to that yet (not really).

Got a bone to pick with the main man here, though. Guts. Why in the name of all that is holy did you bring the Berserk Armour, the Dragonslayer, and all your weapons to meet Casca. YOU DIDN'T NEED THOSE. Even aside from the memories, that stuff makes you highly unhuggable.

Because you don't travel across the world to restore the woman you love, and then when you're told that she's back, take time to change clothes and unequip things. You run to her.

[Mangetsu]

Not to obsess over the release schedule, but that's interesting  I guess people (myself included) noticed the lack of numbers so assumed the ending was something along the lines of "to be continued this Fall" or something.

But in any case, yes people, live in the moment! We got another episode with artwork and moments that are immediately iconic!

I don't want to be that guy, but it says ''to be continued next time'', which is the announcement of a break. We had the same announcement at the end of episode 337

[SleepersWake]

Because you don't travel across the world to restore the woman you love, and then when you're told that she's back, take time to change clothes and unequip things. You run to her. 

*checks 349* You know I somehow forgot that he was wearing all that stuff during the party, and I didn't notice the Dragonslayer lying in the grass next to him. Thinking back, I'm not sure he even owns any clothes besides what he wears under the armor

[Cyrus Jong]

Got a bone to pick with the main man here, though. Guts. Why in the name of all that is holy did you bring the Berserk Armour, the Dragonslayer, and all your weapons to meet Casca. YOU DIDN'T NEED THOSE. Even aside from the memories, that stuff makes you highly unhuggable.

Aside from what Walter said, there's also the issue that Guts is often shown being sickly when he doesn't have the armor on. And the sword in particular has always been a bit of a "security blanket" for him; he just doesn't feel easy if it's not in reach.

[Aazealh]

I don't want to be that guy, but it says ''to be continued next time'', which is the announcement of a break. We had the same announcement at the end of episode 337

No, that message in itself isn't the announcement of a break. For reference, we also had the same announcement at the end of episode 338, 340, 341, 344 and 345 (among others) without a hiatus afterwards. Furthermore, the last three times there was a hiatus (episode 343, 347 and 351), the message shown was different, it just said "[Berserk] to be continued".

[Mangetsu]

No, that message in itself isn't the announcement of a break. For reference, we also had the same announcement at the end of episode 338, 340, 341, 344 and 345 (among others) without a hiatus afterwards. Furthermore, the last three times there was a hiatus (episode 343, 347 and 351), the message shown was different, it just said "[Berserk] to be continued".

Very interesting. Thanks for correcting me.

[NightCrawler]

Glorious last pages.

[Aazealh]

Very interesting. Thanks for correcting me.

No problem. Note that there might still be a hiatus anyway. We haven't gotten a release date, which they do usually provide. And like you mentioned that same message has been used when there were breaks before. But the point is the text itself doesn't indicate it. I'm guessing there's more information on an adjacent page in YA... Or it could also mean they're uncertain whether or not an episode will be available. Anyway, until we get a confirmation, it'd be great if we could all just talk about what happens in this issue. =)

[ApostleBob]

What a fantastic episode.

I'm fairly surprised that Casca initially wakes up so calmly and cheerfully, but I love that it's a false sense of security until she gets to Guts. Miura really had me thinking it was going to be a sweet and simple reunion after all the struggle to bring her back. I was even starting to get comfortable with that until I saw that image with the eye. Miura has used that many times before, and it created fantastic dread at this moment. Those final pages are incredible.

I'm stoked to see where Miura takes it from here. We're in uncharted territory in the series now. I can't wait to see where it's taken next.

[SleepersWake]

Pretty straightforward, yet terribly effective episode. Love Casca's expressions, love her new dress courtesy of Danan, and love her new hairstyle! (Didn't I tell you guys? Braids!)

I hate to call out the grand-master of accuracy, but your actual prediction in SkullKast ep 93, at 1:24:10 was "She's gonna do [...] one big braid".  Technically not accurate (at least not yet!)